Miss you
by Pumpkinee
Summary: After Duo doesn't return from an easy mission, Heero and the other gundam pilots become worried. What is going on at the base Duo is captured at, and will Duo ever escape as he learns something new about his past, and himself, everyday?
1. The mission

A/N: Little 3x4 1x2 fic of my cute little fluffy bunny pilots ::huggles:: So if you don't like it or whatever, don't read it! All reviews are welcome, and in advance, sorry if I make spelling mistakes. I must get Word on my computer soon!  
  
Disclaimer: Man, this always brings that unhappy dead feeling around. ...I don't own Gundam Wing!! *huffhuff* It took a lot to say that, actually. Even though I love my fluffy bunnies!  
  
Miss you...  
  
The cheasnut haired boy hopped out of his gundam. "Now that wasn't too bad, was it?"  
  
A small glare came from the other 4 gundam pilots. "Easy for you to say, Duo. You hardly got a scratch," The usually spirited Arabian said in a dejected tone. "As for the rest of us..." Quatre waved a hand at the 4 demolished gundams.  
  
After surveying the beat up mechas, Duo turned to his own. "Heh, will you imagine that? I guess that Deathsythe is supirior in combat,"  
  
Wufei snorted. "Maxwell, stop gloating and help us over here. We need to hide the gundams quickly,"  
  
After the beat up gundams found their way into the hanger, the 5 exhausted boys headed back to their makeshift home.  
  
"Must...order...pizza..." Trowa muttered once inside. "Phone...where...?" Too tired to search for it, he dejectedly plopped down into a kitchen chair.  
  
"Pizza does sound good," Quatre said, picking up the phone from inside a kitchen cupboard (from Duo's hide and seek the item game). "Who else here would like some?"  
  
"Yum, pizza," Duo replied.  
  
Wufei raised a hand tiredly and looked at the unmoving Trowa blob blankly. Grabbing his wrist, he raised the hand for a brief second before dropping it. "I think Barton wants some,"  
  
"I saw him raise his hand," Duo said.  
  
"Heero? Pizza sound good?"  
  
The Japanese boy turned slightly on the stairs. "Hn," Heero mumbled and retreated to his room.  
  
Quatre took it as a yes. "Hello, Dominoes? I'd like 3 pizzas..."  
  
* * *  
  
Trowa patted his full stomach. "I needed that," He said, wiping grease off his mouth with a napkin.  
  
Duo horked down the last piece greedily. "This definitly beats those cold tv dinners we eat so much. Those things tasted gross and everything was always hard. Why do people willingly eat those?"  
  
Wufei shot Duo a quizzical look. "Cold? And what do you mean by 'hard'?"  
  
"You know, you poke it and it sometimes has frost on it..."  
  
Heero exchanged confused glances with Wufei. "Duo? Have you ever considered sticking your food in a microwave?"  
  
"Microwave? Why would I do that?"  
  
A huge sigh escaped the other 4 boys mouth. "D-duo..." Quatre said feebly.  
  
* * *  
  
"Man, today was tiring!" Duo said, climbing into the his bed. Recieving no answer from his 'perfect' roommate, Duo tried again to start up a conversation. "Soooo...Heero...Um, how was your mission? I saw you got bea- "  
  
"Duo, come here. You have a mission." The suprised pilot arrived swiftly at the laptop, reading carefully the email sent to him. Heero quickly got up as Duo neared him as if the sight of the bouyant boy was disgusting.  
  
I can't let him get too close to me.. Heero told himself. Who knows what will happen...  
  
Duo looked a little hurt by the quick leave of his friend. Shaking it off his mind, he began to read the mail sent to him.  
  
"Sender: Doctor G Recipiant: Duo Maxwell" Duo read aloud. "Skip this shit...You have been selected to go on another mission by comission of..." He said silently, becoming louder the further he read. "Yeah, yeah, get to the point....attack an enemy Oz base and delete all data files. The coordinates are of the following.....That's it? Okay, I think I can handle that,"  
  
Duo let go the scroll mouse and smiled at Heero, who was fixing his bed. "Anyone else going on this mission?" Duo asked.  
  
"Just you. Unless you need some assistance on something so easy,"  
  
"Ha! I never said I needed help, bucko. I was just wondering. Although if you want to come..." Duo smiled bigger at this last part.  
  
What is he suggesting? Heero wondered. Could he... Like I do him...? The soldier roughly shook his head of the ridiculous thought. Impossible. With all the girls always flocking after him, Duo couldn't possibly be... Snap out of it, Yuy. Wishful thinking will get you no where.  
  
"Night Heero!" Duo called from his bed. The American turned off his light, back facing the still pondering Japanese. Heero snapped out of his thoughts and climbed into his own bed, clicking off the small lamp by his bedside. "Night Duo..." He whispered softly before being whisked away into his dreams of a certain boy he knew...  
  
  
  
A/N: So whatcha all think about it? Please tell me, I'd like to know how it turned out. You know, so the townspeople can decide whether to throw me over that cliff or not for blowing up their town..... 


	2. Coming back

A/N: Think you can survive another chapter? Here goes...  
  
Heero woke up with a giant yawn. He stretched and slowly got out of bed, noticing the tangled bed sheets on the floor by his roommate's bed. Duo must be up already...Strange...  
  
He busied himself with his usual morning activities like getting dressed before thinking again of the violet-eyed boy. As Heero stepped downstairs, he saw Trowa and Quatre in the kitchen.  
  
As Heero passed Quatre, he raised 3 fingers. Quatre nodded. "3 eggs, right. Scrambled or over easy?"  
  
"I want scrambled. Anyways, where's Duo?" Heero said, collecting a plate from the cupboard and sitting down at the table.  
  
"He had a mission early this morning, remember?"  
  
Heero checked his watch. "I guess he's not that late. But it shouldn't take him that much longer. It's an easy mission,"  
  
Trowa tsked. "To you Heero, everything is easy. But to us humans, we don't have the same luck. We actually have trouble with some things,"  
  
"Winner, he's definitly been sucking out some of your brains when he kisses you," Wufei grumbled, half dragging his limp body into the kitchen. "Mornings, who needs them? But Barton doesn't seem to have an end to his voice anymore. It's going to be like having another Maxwell running around, heaven forbid,"  
  
Trowa poured himself a glass of orange juice. "But Duo is taking a long time destroying 2 rooms of data,"  
  
"Maybe the traffic's bad," Quatre smiled, mixing the eggy batter.  
  
"Right. At least Maxwell isn't here, so I can enjoy my breakfast without dodging stray bits of food usually flying from his direction. Wouldn't you agree, Yuy?" Wufei only said this to see Heero's answer. He had noticed the boy looking at the Deathsythe pilot an awful lot lately.  
  
"Um, I don't know...." Quatre could have sworn he saw a light tint of pink brush Heero's cheek. For the first time ever, it seemed like Heero was embarrassed and didn't know what to say.  
  
"Hey Wufei, how many eggs do you want?" Quatre said, changing the subject to something familiar. Heero shot Quatre an appriciative glance and sat turned to his plate to eat.  
  
* * *  
  
Duo slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't remember exactly what had happened. The boy winced as memories washed over his brain.  
  
Duo was fighting a small amount of Ozzies...there had come a few more....gas floated into his chamber...and then he, Duo, blacked out.  
  
The young pilot's body was sore. He had been laying on a cement floor. No wonder I hurt so much... Something cold was laying against his wrists. Handcuffs. Great. Juuuuust great. Heero's going to chew me out so much when I get out of here....  
  
Duo suddenly jerked his head up as he heard the slow creak of the cell door opening. He looked into a ruthless face of a soldier. Behind the man stood the Oz base captain.  
  
"Duo Maxwell. Pilot of the gundam Deathsythe. It's good to see you awake," The lady commander said. Her voice was very sturdy as if she was keeping a very important secret in mind but not mouth.  
  
Duo gave the woman a fierce stare. His training included when captured to try not to talk to any Oz member.  
  
The lady smiled. "A tenacious one, aren't you? I can tell. I hope you shall eat your rations before they get cold. But I will be back later to talk to you. Until then," She waved a small hand and swept out of the small room.  
  
The soldier brought forward a tray of hot food and shoved it roughly into the young boy's hands, growling deeply. "You better do what she says or you'll have to answer to me, you scumbag," The man ferociously breathed to Duo's face.  
  
Duo shot him a stupid-poopy-pants look and stuck his tongue out at him. The soldier growled once again and limped out the stone room, slamming the cold metal door.  
  
"And hey!" Duo called, hoping the man was still in hearing range. "That wasn't even a good insult, you cripple!!" Calling the soldier a cripple, no matter how true it was, still bothered Duo's concious. Most people are sensitive about that sort of thing. You shouldn't have said that, Duo's concious told him. It was rude. Would Sister Helen would have wanted you to do that?  
  
The mentioning of Sister Helen, even by his own mind, brought tears of sadness to the pilot's eyes. He shook his head violently, trying to rid the thought from his brain. "I wonder what kind of food it is..." He wondered aloud. "Mashed potatoes, peas, more gross healthy stuff...don't they have anything sweet in here? Not that it matters...it's all probably drugged anyways..."  
  
Heaving the warm food into his mouth, Duo noticed the food tasted off. They did drug it... A few more seconds passed and the light was blurring into the dark. The American's vison was unstable momentarily right before darkness engulfed the poor boy.  
  
  
  
A/N: No! It's the evil dreaded cliffhanger! What will happen next? What drugs did Duo eat? Will the other G boys go looking for Duo? Did the mash potatoes taste good? Stay tuned until the next chapter to find out! 


	3. Here with you

Author: Man, I hope you all like. Thank you all who reviewed! You're so nice!! *huggles* Anyways, here's another chapter. But heed the warning. This was written at unearthly hours of the night and I'm a bit tired. So something might be messed up and a few more spelling mistakes may be found. Bear with me...  
  
Peach (the author's character): Nonetheless it might be hurried. Okachan would kill you if she came in right now! You'd have the spear of longinus through you so fast-  
  
Author: *coughcough* Don't remind me. And a lot of you are wondering why they drugged zelgaDuobunny. Hope this answers any questions! On with the fic!  
  
  
  
Duo woke up with a slight moan. He didn't feel as sore anymore. Actaully, he was quite confortable.  
  
Slowly opening his eyes to mere slits, the young pilot looked about him. He found himself situated on a plush couch. As his vison came into focus, he saw the woman from last time sitting in front of him, smiling.  
  
"Uhnn...." Duo mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his head. "What...? Where am I...?" He said drowsily.  
  
"You are in my office, Duo. Do you mind if I call you that?" The commander politly asked, waiting until Duo fully awoke.  
  
"Yeah, sure. I don't care...." Finally wiping sleep from his eyes, the boy realized his surroundings. "Hey!"  
  
"I am terribly sorry we had to put those sleeping pills in your food, but I'm afraid while we move you from room to room, you aren't allowed to see. One of the general rules of the base: Don't let your enemy know their way aroung. If you can help it, that is,"  
  
"What do you want with me? What are you going to do with me? Jail? Death? Slave?"  
  
The commander laughed and shook her head. "I'm not going to do any of the above. We aren't bad enough to kill you or turn you into a slave here. Honestly, do you people think we are that mean?"  
  
"Well, yeah! All the other bases I've been thrown into numerous times..."  
  
"So you have been caught before and escaped, am I right?"  
  
"Heh, you should know. I know you have all the information right there," Duo pointed to a folder lying on top of a coffee table.  
  
"Smart boy," She smiled.  
  
"More like not oblivious. It' pretty much completely obvious. Hey, what's your name anyways?"  
  
"I have seemed to have forgotten to introduce myself. Pardon my rude actions. So lets start from the beginning. My name is Commander Shar. Commander Sabriel Shar, and I run this Oz base. And may I ask yours?"  
  
Duo snorted and looked around. "Listen honey, I'm not allowed to reveal any info about myself to anybody, especially you guys. And you probably even have security cameras listening to my every word. So sorry, but no can do,"  
  
"You are wrong there. There are no cameras, tape recordings, or anything of the sort in here. This is my office. I wouldn't allow such a thing," When the young pilot looked intently into her face he felt as though she was an old friend he could easily trust.  
  
Duo looked at Commander Shar strangely. He was trying to decide whether or not to believe her. "You...sure?" He asked warily after a small pause.  
  
"I swear on my position as commander of this base. We could go anywhere you want and talk, though I cannot gaurentee there wouldn't be cameras there. And we'd have to knock you out again. But it's your choice,"  
  
Duo snorted. "With all the options you're giving me, I think I'll stay here. And I dunno, there's something telling me to trust you, but my training says otherwise. And I'm not sure which one to pick: My training or my heart,"  
  
"You may take as long as you like, Duo. It's your decision," It was easier said than done. This was an important decision to make. The wrong choice and Duo could get himself and his friends all killed. Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and especially Heero. But that little something was nagging at his mind, attracting him to the commander like old friends.  
  
Duo's mind clashed frantically against itself. You don't know what you're getting into! This is Oz! You never know if they're lying or not! Duo's gundam side told himself. But something is telling me to trust her! I...I...I can't disregard my heart! It's so confusing!  
  
Duo clutched his head and squeezed his eyes shut. It was probably a life or death decision, and Duo was confused as ever. But a meek voice found it's way into Duo's confusing train of thoughts. As you're heart tells you...  
  
Heero. It's as though you are out there watching me. Thank you, my angel. Looking up at the curious commander, Duo's mind was made up. "I trust you,"  
  
Commander Shar smailed warmly. "Are you really trusting me or are you just saying that?"  
  
"Shinigami never lies. On the Maxwell church code of honor,"  
  
"Maxwell...Church...?" Commander Shar quickly grabbed the yelow file folder and opened it, thumbing through the pages until she found just what she wanted. "Duo Maxwell..." She bagan to read aloud softly. "Parents: Unknown. Place of Birth: L2. Was raised by the Maxwell Church...." Reading it over and over, Commander Shar seemed amazed. Snapping out of her mode, the woman looked up at Duo, her eyes soft and a little teary.  
  
"Duo Maxwell....You named yourself after the church, didn't you?"  
  
Duo felt a little hesitant to reply. "Um....."  
  
"Tell me, did you know someone named Sister Helen? She lived there too. Did you know her?"  
  
The pilot could tell something was going on here that he was not aware of. How did Shar know Sister Helen? And why did it seem so important to know if he himself knew her too? His questions would only be answered if he went along. "Yes, I knew her and loved her very much,"  
  
"So did I. I miss her so much now," The commander stared at the ground, hugging the portfolio close to her chest. A single tear trickled down her cheek, leaving a small waterway as a trail.  
  
"You..knew her...? But how? I never saw you at home. At least not that I remember,"  
  
"Sister Helen and I go way back. Before your time, son. When we were little girls, everyday I would go right next door to where she lived and we'd play all day. We had so much fun. Both of us wanted to be nuns, but I was unable to fulfill my dream. For one day I woke up and no one was there. I was in a strange place, a different colony, actually. I had been kidnapped by my own father,"  
  
Commander Shar wiped a tear from her eye as several more streaked her cheeks. "My mother had died years ago or else she would have put a stop to this. But my father took me away because he didn't want me to be a nun. 'You have to uphold the family honor and position' Father always said. That day I cried a thousand tears-every single one for the loss of my best friend. I was banned from seeing her by my father. And when he died he made sure the officials higher than me kept me on track and not in contact with my dear friend."  
  
"That's awful....How did you know she worked at the Maxwell church though? If you were seperated so young...." The young pilot trailed off, hoping to hear more of the sad tale.  
  
"Once in awhile I would be able to drop her a letter. Nobody ever knew, I believe. I would have been punished if they had recieved wind of that, but no such thing happened. While on a mission I was once able to stop at the church, but that was probably before you arrived. She could write me freely without punishment, but could not send it to anywhere my father could learn about it. It was hard, but it was worth every once of effort just to hear or see her,"  
  
A long pause settled in the room. Commander Shar was trying to stifle her tears as the memories engulfed her while Duo was lost in his own memories of his only known mother figure.  
  
Commander Shar picked up where she left off. "When the Maxwell church tragedy occured I was devestated. I prayed and wished and hoped ever moment that Helen would be alright. When I found out that she too had been killed, what's worse was by Oz, I just couldn't carry on. I died so many times that day, for the souls of the wounded and killed by this pointless war. For the numoerous innocent people who fought for the good of all and were killed relentlessly. For the bloodshed I had helped cause. For my dear Sister Helen,"  
  
Another eerie silence fell around the room. The now shaking boy spoke quietly in a hoarse voice. "For the bloodshed I helped cause. There were so many lives I took with no heed to their pleas for mercy and help. I also helped kill those poelple. Innocent people who were only fighting to put food on the table for their families.....I hate war so much! It only causes pain and suffering! Why...? Sister Helen....I miss you so so much....."  
  
The two sat in silence as tears and memories of a loved one gone washed over them  
  
Sister Helen....  
  
Finally breaking the uncomfortable silence, Duo tried to bring conversation to the voice empty room. "Why do you take this job if you want to be a nun? You're father is dead. Why don't you leave?"  
  
The commander gave a light laugh. "I wish I could, Duo. But this job has run in my family. I would disgrace them if I ditched this to be a nun, even if that is my dream. Don't think Oz would just let me quit either. They'd probably pretend to let me go and send some serial killer after me in my sleep,"  
  
"Wouldn't that be the wake-up call of your dreams," The pilot joked.  
  
"More like the wake-up call in my dreams. Or my nightmares. Whichever one I meet when I die finally,"  
  
"Too true. But I'm wondering something. You don't really like Oz and what they fight for, right? From what you said and all,"  
  
"No, not at all. I disagree on so many of the things we do around here. Yet they still think I'm a great commander and they haven't yet booted me out. I wish I had never joined this stupid place, but it was my blood line. I really didn't have a choice. You know, upholding my family honor and position,"  
  
"But if you hate it, you should leave! If you feel it's wrong why haven't you done anything about it? Just because of somefamily honor-"  
  
"Duo son, where I grew up, you live for your honor. If you don't have honor, you have nothing. It's a big part of today's society too. And it's a big part to be honorable as a nun. Even if I do despise my job, I still can't quit it. I'm bound to it until I retire from old age or I die. And even if I retire I will still be here. A part of me always will,"  
  
"So you are going to live your life miserably until the end doing something that you hate?"  
  
"Some say life is only preperation for the afterlife. Personally, I don't agree. I think that life and death run together. You live and you die. What you do about it is what shapes your future. My life is not how I wish it was, but in the afterlife I can tell every person I hurt that I am sorry. I can spend hours on end once again with my dear Helen. When I die, it won't be a bad thing. It may seem bad to you, or maybe not. You are Shinigami after all,"  
  
"Death doesn't scare me too much. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to enjoy life as well as death. Suicidal maniacs like you should understand that. There are too many deaths already,"  
  
"Duo, I'm not a suicidal maniac just because I think I will enjoy my sweet death. I try to live every day to the fullest. I want to see an end to this war. And I think suicide is just cheating yourself of good oppertunities that await in your future. People like that find a problem and instead of trying to solve it, they run away. They won't face the problem, and in the end, they think death is the only choice. I disagree absolutely with this. I think your future comes no matter what, it's just whether you accept it or refuse it. If you refuse it, you run away. But if you accept, you find wonderful things everyday,"  
  
"And you say you accept the future and what it brings to you," Duo said, a bit confused.  
  
"Death will be in the future always. And anyways, what do you have to fear death?"  
  
"I do not fear my own death, but the death of someone-anyone-close to me. I don't want them to hurt,"  
  
"Or leave you. Is there someone special to you Duo? I mean, really special? Like a lover who you do not want to leave you?" Duo didn't answer; his mind drifting to a certain chocolate haired boy. "If your hearts are one and you truely love each other, nothing will keep you apart,"  
  
Commander Shar looked at her watch. "My my, we've been rambling way too much. You should be getting to bed soon. I shall get you some dinner in a moment,"  
  
Duo snuggled into the plush couch he was laying on. He felt very drowsy now that he came to think about it. The dinner he ate previously was still in his stomach and the day had been quite tiring.  
  
And before the commander could leave to get some food, the boy was fast asleep on the couch, dreams sweeping him into a fantasy world of his own. The commander smiled and let the boy be, settling into a chair incase the boy woke up for comfort.  
  
  
  
A/N: Whoo boy, that was a longer chapter! Night Minna-san! Peach: Tired... 


	4. What should I do?

A/N: Wow, I'm finally back! I haven't written in this in how long? 300 years or so? That's what I thought. Well, I'm back in business, taking a tiny break from my Interview with Stardom story as I wait for ff.net to post the latest chapter, as well as for you people to tell me who to interview next. Thank you, minna-san!  
  
Peach: Though it isn't THE most creative hour of the night (which is 2:00 a.m, remember?) it's pretty darn close to thinking time. Let's hit the show!  
  
"Quatre...?" Heero said in a dismal voice that echoed across the nearly empty room.  
  
Quatre looked up from his spot on the couch. He could see the worry lifting into the eyes of the boy who had spoken. "Yeah, Heero?" Quatre could guess what the subject was about, though not wanting to rush it upon the already nerve-wrecked Heero.  
  
"It's about Duo.... I'm really worried, I definitly think something happened to him. It's been quite a few hours since his mission. Do you...do you think I should go after him?" His gaze was to the floor, and he was lightly blushing at the fact of revealing emotions to another comrade.  
  
Quatre sighed. "I don't know, Heero. Knowing Duo he could be out eating burritoes and chips, or perhaps he was caught. Either way, he may think we don't find him trustworthy if we go searching for him. He's a tricky soul; you have to play your cards right."  
  
"Duo isn't likely to munch down this long on useless food products. What if he's in trouble? I'm....I'm starting to worry."  
  
"Duo's whole life is trouble, all of ours are. As I said before, you need to do things logically. Don't just throw yourself in front of a car to save a soccer ball."  
  
Heero gave him a puzzled look. Quatre sighed deeply. "Heero, what I'm trying to say is make your desicion with a cool head. And always remember what your elders told you." With that, Quatre lifted himself up from from the comfy furniture, picked up his book, and left.  
  
"My......elders.......?"  
  
* * *  
  
Duo snapped open his eyes instantly. His stomach felt as if it were a volcano erupting and spilling lava all over his insides. He groaned and wrapped both hands around it, trying to squeeze the pain away.  
  
"Duo? What's wrong, honey?" He heard Commander Shar's voice say. "Are you okay?"  
  
Duo let out a slight gasp as he tried to keep his tears from falling. I-it hurts so bad! He squeezed his stomach harder. "M-make it...go away....please...!" Was all he could mutter. His breathe quickened.  
  
Commander Shar gasped and snatched the phone from the hook. "Get some doctors in here, quick!" She said quickly before snapping it back down on the reciever. "Duo, Duo! It's going to be okay. Duo!" Shar exclaimed, rushing down to the boy as he collapsed onto his side.  
  
"Please....it hurts so bad...please....make it stop..." Duo choked out, unable to keep in his tears of agony any longer. The crystal droplets wicked down his cheek as he gasped for air again. "Please......" He glanced into Commander Shar's eyes for a fleeting second, pain, misery, and helplessness reflected on the shiny surface of his eyes.  
  
Commander Shar looked at him with concern flooding her eyes. "Coming through, coming through!" The paramedics shouted, entering the office in a flurry. "Excuse me, please back up, Commander."  
  
The commander did as she was asked as the docor quickly examined the helpless boy. He gave a small tsk and called someone on a radio to bring a strencher.  
  
"He's in bad shape. I think it might be food poisoning, but it may be a harsh allergic reaction to food. I'm not positive it's either of those two, but that's what it looks like." The doctor told Commander Shar, standing up from his kneeling position. The strecher came moments later, and he helped his companion lift Duo onto it.  
  
"Please let me know of anything you might find right away!" She called to their retreating backs. The office door gave a tiny click to signify it was closed, and Sabriel Shar toppled onto the couch where the young boy had just been sleeping peacefully minutes earlier. She rubbed her face with a shaking hand and let out a small sob. "What have I done...?"  
  
  
  
Megatokyo Seraphim: So? How's that for not writing this for awhile? I think it's the most exciting chapter yet. Heck, MY stomach hurt while writing it, but that's because I'm a very empathetic person. It's like I have the same injury as the person who really has it. It doesn't always come to my aid, I'll tell you that. Ow, pain....  
  
Peach: Booyah! Hopefully M.S can write more chapters on this fic soon! I really like this one, and M.S want to finish this one before starting her new GW fic "An Angel's Crystal Tears". PLEASE review, you would not believe how much that means to some authors! It's the only reason M.S gets up in the morning- to see the readers' reaction and coomments! We serve to please, so please review! 


	5. Facts and decisions

MS: Oh, you guys really love this story! (Or at least pretend to for my sake!) Either way, it makes me so happy! This is for all of you who have reviewed and stayed true through the whole thing. You really mean a lot to me! Very sorry it's taken so long to write another chapter, I'll try to be better from now on. On to writing!

Peach: Thank you for putting up with our bad habits and poor qualities. You are too, too kind! We are trying to be better from now on, I promise!

Heero sat on the cold bed, shifting only slightly every few minutes. He had been contemplating what Quatre had told him, trying to come to a decision. _What can I do? This room feels so....so cold without him......I never thought I'd feel like this when he was gone..... Why do I.....!? I just don't get anything anymore......_

Breathing deeply and heaving a wearisome sigh, the boy thought of all the possibilities of situations Duo could be in. In the end, though, most of them lead to one final situation--captured by Oz. He made a slight movement to get up from the unfriendly furniture, but hesitated. _Duo's thoughts on my trust in his capabilities......_

Heero had mostly been thinking on one of the subjects from his talk with Quatre, and hardly gave a second thought to the lightly brushed topic at the end of their conversation.

__

What did he mean....listen to my elders.....? The pilot rubbed his temples in frustration, giving a scowl. _I don't have time to solve these stupid riddles! _Restlessly, he growled aloud into the empty room.

"What does this all mean!?! I just don't _get_ it! Dammit, Duo!" His words echoed in the vast silence of the big room, making the room seem even lonelier, if that was possible.

"Listen to my elders....listen to my elders...." Heero commented to himself, probing his mind of any solutions to the enigmatic statement. "If I can crack a code for a top-secret business and set the place in chaos, why can't I just figure out this stupid _stupid_ code!! What should I do, Duo?"

He grabbed his head and shook it violently back and forth, stopping abruptly. A look of shocked surprise spread across his face, sending his mind racing on thoughts unspoken. Racing up off the bed and into the kitchen, Heero grabbed a few things and put it into a small, green knapsack. Without a word to anyone else, he flew out the door in a frenzy to the gundam shed. Moments later a roar of an engine come to life was heard in the gray skies above.

***

Duo lay on an uncomfortable doctor bed, breathing harshly. Nobody was in sight, no doctor to hear news from, only tools and a mirror. _Probably a one-sided mirror..... _Duo thought. _I bet they're peeping at me right now from the other side. Enjoy your looks, 'cause they ain't gonna last long..... _He tried to sit up several times, but failed. A sharp pain would sting in his stomach every time, a reminder that he had just gotten his stomach pumped.

On the other side of the mirror, a doctor and Commander Shar stood conversing. Commander Shar nodded in turn as the doctor spoke, but not really hearing much she had to say. Her only thoughts remained on the poor boy stretched out in front of her in pain.

"Were you able to get it out?" The commander questioned in the topic.

"......No, we weren't. We'll just have to let it get itself through, with antibiotics to help out." The doctor replied, shuffling through some papers in a folder she was carrying. She pulled a few packets out and handed them to Shar.

"Thank you. Is it alright....if I go visit him?" The doctor nodded, and soon after headed off in a bustle, eyes locked onto her watch.

Shar chuckled and smiled, opening the door to the sterile room. Duo looked up at her as she entered, and collapsed right back down afterwards. "To think, that woman would rather be late to her other work then chance to offend me by not updating me on your situation. Silly girl."

Duo smiled weakly. "Knowing you, you wouldn't have done any harm to her if she had left. God, I feel like I was hit by a car." Giving a big heave, he closed his eyes and relaxed a little. Having Commander Shar near him was like having an trustworthy old friend close by.

"I'm terribly sorry, Duo. I really am. I never had any intentions to have you get food poisoning. I can't believe....! We are going to burn all the food in the prisoner warehouse as soon as possible."

"I know you wouldn't do something like this, for some reason. It just didn't... You are too......warm on the inside. Too light."

Commander Shar raised an eyebrow slightly in question. "Light?"

"The color of your spirit. I can see, no, I can feel, it's light. Evil people have darker spirits. After living through what I did, you begin to see them. It helps you decide whether or not to trust the person. God, it hurts..." Shar smiled weakly at the marvel of his strength. "Don't look at me like that...." Duo said, cracking one eye open slightly. "It hurts me. I've seen that same look of pity too many times in my garbage life. I don't need it, I never did. But people give it to me anyways, no matter what I tell them."

Shar's smiled dropped, and she adverted her gaze slightly to the floor. "I'm sorry, but I can't help the fact that I feel that I'm the one responsible for this mess. I hate this place, and I hate hurting people. I just wish I could get away from this base, and my life sometimes. I'm living a lie everyday when I tell myself, no one is hurting because of me. They're hurting because of themselves."

Duo gave a short laugh, clenching his stomach. "They are hurting because of themselves, not just you. Because of all the other trash out there that treats them like shit with no respect for the human value. The whole world rips us apart. All of life digs at us, weakening us. Only the strong survive." He began to fall slowly into a restful, dazed, sleep, closing his eyes and relaxing.

Shar smiled again, this time no pity shining in her eyes. "You are so brave, son. I wish I could be like you, sometimes. Courageous, determined, smart, skillful, special. I feel honored that a gundam pilot trusts me enough to relax and sleep peacefully in my presence. Usually only a true friend could make you do such."

"And that's what you are, right? We're friends, aren't we?" Duo mumbled, the words slightly slurring together in his exhaustion.

"Real friends, Duo. Really good friends." Shar smiled brightly, picking up and shuffling some papers. As her hand placed itself on the doorknob, Duo mumbled something indistinguishable. "What was that, dear?"

"Did they....catch it before it was too late? The poison?" He spoke almost silently, tired from the day.

Shar paused momentarily. "No, but you are still lucky. It's not too bad. You should only feel weak for awhile, and you might have the urge to throw up sometimes. It could have been much worse." 

".....Awhile...? How long is 'awhile'?"

".......There's no telling exactly. It could be a week or few days if you're really lucky, or it could be a month or two."

There was silence from the stiff bed, but Shar knew Duo was not asleep, but thinking to himself quietly, wondering what it would do to his career as a pilot. She decided it was best to leave him be for the time being, and left out the door.

As the heavy door's slamming noise echoed in the cold room, Duo emitted a frustrated growl and hit the bed with his fist angrily, leaving a tear in the cheap plastic leather.

MS: Man, I am SO sorry this took so long! I will try to be better from now on, I promise. I'll try to post a chapter every week at the LEAST, and believe me, I'm repenting my mistakes right now. It's about to get really good soon, or at least I plan for it.

Peach: And thank you who reviewed! This chapter is for Emily Hato especially, because she is the greatest! Thank you, everyone else, it's also for you guys. You are all too kind, you really are.

MS: And please check out my newest story "Discovering You and Me" if you haven't already. It's one of my personal favorites! Thank you!


	6. Rememberance

MS: Please enjoy!

Duo lay coldly on the bed, shivering slightly. He had woken up in the early morning from the stinging pain in his stomach. He had been dreaming about a conversation he had been having with Commander Shar, and it had frightened him. He remembered, and wasn't sure if he had wanted to or not.

It had been from the day he had woken up in Shar's office. The conversation had been about his job, what he did for a living.

__

Why do you fight, Duo? Why do you pilot a gundam?

I pilot a gundam for the good of the people, the colonists of this world. I pilot to save them and their families. I fight you guys for all the pain you have caused on others, all the merciless deaths that happened because of your soldiers..... He had told her.

__

I realize that Oz soldiers have slaughtered civilians in the past without any reason whatsoever. I know they kill for the smell of blood, for the torture of others. But not all of them are like that, are they? Some understand, because they are civilians too. They want to do this for the good of the colonies as well, but who is right? Are you, the gundam pilots, right in your decisions for a better tomorrow, or are Oz? Everyone dies, and all soldiers dying here are dying because they think they are doing what is right..... She had replied.

__

Choices of opinions..... Is that really the reason why there are so many meaningless deaths? Because they are doing what they think is right..... This is why I have killed them, because I find myself of higher status...... Because I think that I am right, and they could never be.... Is this really so? Is this really why I kill?

It's up to you, Duo. You must think for yourself in situations like this. You must decide for yourself why you do what you do, and you cannot let others influence your decisions.

Do I fight for honor? Justice? Because I think these soldiers are fighting for the wrong cause because that's what was told to me? Do I fight because I.... I love to watch others suffer....die? I fight for my past, I fight for the church.

Are you, though? Do you really think that your loved ones would really want you to kill for their sake?

.....No, no, they wouldn't. They would tell me that it's wrong, that it's sinful....... I killed for them; something that Father would have never wanted..... Why did I do it.....?

Why do fight, Duo? Why do you pilot a gundam?

I don't know, please, I don't know. Just don't ask me that, just don't....!

Duo rolled over on the stiff bed, and closed his eyes, trying to forget that conversation, and the others like it, that he had had that fateful day.

__

I kill.....by my choice......

As a tear for every soldier dead because of him streaked down his cheek, staining his eyes red, he tried to forget everything about this war, his war, that had been bloody and murderous.

Peach: How ya'll like? We have another chapter getting ready, so be prepared! Please review, and as always, thanks a million for reading! I'm very sorry if this chapter was too short, but it's needed for the next bits^_^


	7. My old past

MS: Well! Here is another chapter of Miss You as promised. By the end of this or the next week, another chapter should be up for all you readers.

Peach: And please, we're begging you, do not freeload! If you read the fic, please leave at least one review! And we're very sorry this hasn't been updated in awhile. Some....unexpected events occurred which left us with a broken computer, a dog in staples, and chaos drifting here and there. You know how it goes then.

MS: I hope you enjoy the next installment of Miss You, and hope sanity may once sink into this household once again, or for once. On with the fic!

"Yui!" Wufei yelled, checking all the rooms for the chocolate haired boy. "Hey, Yui, where are you?" He peeked into the kitchen. Failing to find the boy, he turned around and left to search some more.

"You aren't going to find him." Trowa commented from the kitchen table. Wufei whirled around to find him drinking a cup of coffee, leaning against the wall by the doorway.

"Barton...?" The question that followed was silent, but understood.

"Heero's gone looking for Duo. He won't be back any time soon." Trowa took another sip from his cup, the steam continuing to rise up from the hot liquid.

"That can't be. Yui is always quick in his missions. Metal robots do not mess up and take more time than necessary. And the base isn't that far away. It'll be a breeze. Even Quatre could do it in a matter of an hour."

Trowa moved to the kitchen table and sat down. "Not this base. I've been captured at that base before, as Duo has been now." He closed his eyes painfully. "I learned things there I never wanted to know. About myself, about my past, about my family. I learned things that are too painful to hold on to, like a dagger to the heart. Duo shall be no different, and what he has learned thus far will make it harder for him to do much anything right now."

Wufei took a seat at the end of the table by Trowa. His eyes reflected pity for his companion pilot. "What did you learn?" He asked gently, seeing the struggle Trowa was dealing with.

"Things I never...." Wufei noticed Trowa's white knuckles around the coffee cup, as if resisting the urge to throw it across the room. Trowa shifted his left hand to his forehead, pressing the clenched fist against his head and squeezing his eyes shut tightly. His eyes began to glimmer with a faint set of tears as he struggled with the painful knowledge that had been forced into his brain. "Things I never wanted, never wished to know. There were horrible things about my past I learned, about.... about deaths I caused..... 

"You begin to see a different you there. A you that other people, regular people, see. It's hard for you to decide if you are really a savior to these people, or just some sick person loving the pain, suffering, and death of others. You see the real you that others see. It's what your wife would see in you. Bloodthirsty, vengeful, and sick. You notice that you aren't much better than those fools in the suits for Oz. They do it to feed their families, because it's the only way they can make a living. You are doing it to save the colonists, but aren't people from Oz also colonists? Or are you doing it for pride, or self esteem? You can't discern much from anything after awhile."

Wufei sat with Trowa, wondering what he didn't already know, hasn't already seen, would bring him into such a pitiful state of mind. He thought a little, and felt a small amount of grief fill his lungs as he heaved. It hadn't bothered him since the event, and he had nearly forgotten it completely. He cleared his throat, and Trowa turned his attention to his friend.

"I once killed a man...... He begged me not to take his life. He said he was doing this to live, this was his only income coming to his family. He said that if he died, his family would starve..... I had been angry since the morning for some reason or another..... And I took his life anyways, as though it were a simple grass blade I was mowing. I still remember his face as he died..... He was crying...and praying.... When his body fell to the ground below me there was a picture.... A picture of his family and him, playing on a grassy turf. He had six kids, all young, and a crippled wife..... I took his life away, I was a murderer. And for what? An argument or bad day? It's no excuse for my actions...."

Trowa smiled a little, glad that his companion had finally started to reconsider some of the deeds they had done. Although it wasn't as intense as the base's mental devastation, it was good to realize faults. It was the first step to help oneself become a better person.

"Hey, Trowa...?" Wufei questioned hesitantly. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, and although he was sure he was prying too far into a subject that didn't involve him, he couldn't help himself. "What was something you learned there? It's so hard for me to imagine something so bad could be revealed to me that I didn't already know."

Trowa gave a weak chuckle, smiling in spite of his dark attitude. "You think you know your past, don't you?" Wufei nodded, almost feverently. "Even if you don't think so, it doesn't matter. They say you learn something new everyday. Whether it's good or bad, helpful or painful, it's there shoved into your face without your consent."

Trowa leaned backwards in his chair, putting his hands behind his head and looking almost dazedly at the ceiling. "My goal in life is to stop this war. I want to save as many people as I can, and I want myself, and the millions of other civilians, to live once again in peace. I want people like myself to know what peace is, as we have lived our entire miserable lives in war. I fight for peace, I fight for love. I fight for a new generation. When I was captured at that base, secrets of my past were revealed to me. My parents seemed to have been good people. Regular citizens like everyone else. What I found out was otherwise.

"My father had been a trained assassin. What's worse? He worked for Oz, and was in high ranking offices. His name was known all throughout the business, and he was highly respected. Of course, not for the "wonderful" things he had done. He was respected because either he'd kill you and your family otherwise, or you liked the fact he killed world leaders promoting peace. My mother had been no better. She was in the very top office of Oz, and worked continually there. A workaholic, poor mother who knew the computer better than her own children. I had a sister, and no brothers. We both had been mistakes, nothing more than an accident on a rough night. She would have gladly given us up for adoption, and tried to, but was convinced otherwise by her few bosses. They said that they would need another fine officer like herself when the time came for her to leave, and who better than an heir?

"Not long after I had been born, the base where they worked at was violently hacked into. They fled for their lives on command, but along the way, I was dropped off the makeshift carriage. My mother didn't care, I was just a nuisance to her anyway. She could train someone else in my place, someone older and more grown up than a mere baby. She and my father were both killed that night by allies of the base hackers. I don't know what happened to my sister, I don't know what happened to the bodies of my parents. I do not care for them, as cruel and harsh as it may sound. I cannot even be grateful that they raised me, for they didn't whatsoever. I do not know if I would have rather learned this awful knowledge or not. You know, it sort of reminds me of the civil war in the United States of America a long, long time ago when I think of what they were and what I am now."

Wufei looked puzzled at this last statement. "U...nited States of what...? I've never heard of such a place. Is it like a world from a fairy tale?"

Trowa smiled. "It was a country a long, long time ago. Over 400 years. This world used to have countries in it instead of colonies, but a new world was created over it. They made this world, and 200 years ago they decided that the information of the "old world" was not to be learned once more because it only brought tragedy and grief. So it was banned from schools, and they began a new year system. Wars broke out in those days too, though. One in the United States was the civil war. It was the country against the country for the right to either own slaves or have slaves their freedom."

"Slaves? Like people had other people as slaves? It's hard to believe that could ever happen."

"It did. It was a different world back then. But during that world you could actually find your brother on the other battlefield, fighting for the exact opposite thing you were. It was ridiculous, and in the end, slavery was banned. But hundreds of people died for it."

"It's hard to believe something so trivial would have a war. Nowadays you couldn't get someone to follow your orders unless you paid them a bucket of money. Maybe I would have liked to see what it was like back then. It seems too unbelievable."

"Yeah, it must have been interesting. Let's see... I think I still remember a song I learned when I was very little. Somebody told me that it had been from the age of countries, where different languages were spoken all over the world. I think it went," Trowa closed his eyes and began to work his memory of remembering the tune. When he got it, he relaxed his face and began to sing softly. "Swing low, sweet chariot. Coming forth to carry me home. Swing low, sweet chariot, coming forth to carry me home. I looked over Jordan and what did I see, coming forth to carry me home? A band of angels a'comin after me, coming forth to carry me home."

Wufei smiled slightly at the beautiful song, despite the difference in the language of the song. "It's pretty." He said openly. "But I don't understand it. Can you translate it?"

Trowa thought a moment. "I don't remember the exact translation. But I do remember it was about slavery, and the slaves wanting to be taken to their freedom. The language was called 'English', but I don't know anything more."

A silence donned the area, leaving nothing to make a single noise. The two boys sat, marveling about their mysterious past long forgotten, and the old traditions that had failed to make it to this new age.

As peace settled into the small house, everything felt finally in tranquility, released from the tensions and stress that had piled up for never-ending days in the busy little place they called home. It seemed for once, everything was going to turn out alright, and everyone was going to be fine.

With this thought in their head, neither one expected the rolling blackout that suddenly swept their entire town that instant. And no one, not even those with the keenest sense of danger, was ready for the horror that struck next.

MS. And? Well, sorry it took so long to get this thing up. The road is going to get a little more bumpy for me now, but it will all settle out later. Hopefully I can still update as much as I can, so no worries (I hope...-_-;;)

Peach: Please review and tell me how this chapter turned out. I think it did pretty well, myself, but I want an expert's opinion ; YOU, the reader!


	8. Courage of the gods

A/N: Hey, Megatokyo Seraphim here, and I realize you all are trying to track me down so you can hurl shoes and other miscellaneous objects at me for not updating, but please forgive v_v;; Summer is here, and to show my dedication to you readers, I'd like to let you know that I was typing this up instead of studying for my finals. Nonetheless, my absolutely worst subject final that I have tomorrow--math. I still don't see how I'm passing that class..... v_v;;

Peach: Hopefully she can post another, one shot fic of the G boys' adventures tomorrow. As a celebration of summer, and the fact that she doesn't have to touch a flute ever again. But that's only if she doesn't get killed by the school narks for bringing spring loaded confetti canisters to signify the end of school.

MS: I'm so pathetic......

Duo awoke suddenly to the violent shakes of the ground and the flickering lights above him. He could hear screaming and crying all about him, and so much more. _These voices.... I've heard them before..._ Duo snapped to attention instantly. _Shinigami has been here!_

Red lights flashing and alarms buzzing in his ear, he began to take the IV needle that had been placed in his arm out. Making sure nothing was left that could restrain him from escaping the chaos about him, besides his own failing energy, Duo picked around for a quick weapon in case he had to defend himself. Finding nothing, he decided to make the run anyway.

"Ha, these people are too busy trying to save their own stinking hide to think of anyone else," He told himself aloud. Snatching the cold handle of the door in his hands, he gave a jerky pull, then a push. The door refused to budge. Beginning to panic, Duo ripped and jerked at the doors and windows, searching to find a way to escape. An all too familiar smell reached his nose, and he knew that the building had been placed on fire.

Looking for a less obvious route of escape, Duo turned his attention to the light swishing around above the bed. Duo ran towards the bed, but when he tried to jump atop the bed, his stomach muscles stretched, creating shock waves of pain to race through the pilot. He fell backwards into a crumpled form on the ground, narrowly avoiding sharp instruments.

"God.... Heero.... Shar....Someone...Please save my soul.....Please...." A tear of sorrow, pity, self-hatred, and repent escaped from the boy's chin, sliding down the soft peach cheek, leaving a trace. More followed; more crystals from the heart full of sins escaping from their eternal confinement in the sky outside. "Please.... please just forgive me for my sins, my horrid deeds...."

A spark of electricity fell from the program equipment by the window, but Duo refused to move, knowing that there was no hope left for him. He laid forgotten, forgotten by his friends, family, his love. It was if there was no reason to keep on living.

The very idea of the self-disgust Duo felt for himself made him begin to heave. The stinging from his stomach and body had subsided to a dull pain, even as any food he had been able to consume was now flowing out again.

A crash from above sounded off like lightening as the lights fell down. The silhouette familiar face stood in its place, breaking off more ceiling to create a bigger hole. "Did somebody ask for a miracle?" A burst of flame from behind the figure flashed a picture of his face, a face Duo could never forget.

"He-Heero!" Duo exclaimed, wiping his mouth and beginning to smile once again. "How did you--"

Heero jumped down from his spot and landed by Duo, embracing him in his arms and lifting him gently into his arms. "There's no time. This base is going to blow any minute, and I wasted enough time just trying to get to this room." He jumped onto the bed lightly and began to help Duo into the rafters above, watching him struggle. "You've been...hurt...." Heero added, not sure what to say or do.

"Right now is not the time to worry about something like that!" Duo exclaimed, trying not to choke from the smoky arena. He finished clambering into the tiny electrical hole, and notice that there were no wires or anything. He shot a quizzical look at Heero, who was climbing in after him.

"What? They would be a potential danger to the mission. A spark could set our only escape route on fire, therefore not enabling us to complete the mission."

Duo only shook his head, and decided to leave the subject at rest. "I have to find the commander of this place. We have to save her, you and me."

Heero looked annoyed by the very thought. "That is not an option. We are against Oz, even their commanders who only poison their prisoners."

_So Heero did notice_, Duo thought to himself. He had been hoping he could slip by without anyone noticing his handicap, but Heero had been too good. _It's not like it wasn't obvious or anything, Maxwell...._ He turned to the topic at hand. "She's a good person, and she didn't poison me," Duo said crossly. "She helped me out a lot here,"

Heero scoffed in return. "You must be on heavy drugs to actually be brainwashed enough to believe what they tell you. You're a highly trained, professional gundam pilot, Duo. You should be able to think for yourself, even when put on their drugs." It was obvious he wasn't taking Duo seriously in the least bit.

"I'm NOT drugged, and I DO make my own opinions!"

Heero only smirked, but it was as though he was yelling in Duo's ear. "Whatever," He replied . "We might have to replace you if you keep this up."

Duo whipped around with amazing ease in the small tunnel. Face burning red with anger and hatred, Duo came nose to nose with his companion. "Dammit Yuy, if you EVER say that again, joking or not, I SWEAR I'm going to rip that damn smile off your face for good!! Now tell me where the hell the commander's office is!"

Voice quieting to a deadly whisper, Heero gave a glare that promised death to those who defied it. "You shall not tell me what I can or cannot do to keep this team at its very best. Second rate is not an option, and if you cannot keep up with the terms of being a gundam pilot, then you shall not be allowed to do such. Got that, Maxwell?" An icy feeling crept about, despite the rising temperature and smoky conditions swirling around them.

Duo raised his head with a dangerous look reflecting in his eyes. "I understand as much as you do. You are not excluded from these rules, so if I say I am doing this for the better of the team, you had better cooperate, or you'll be out as well." Silence sunk between the two, a fire of such degree burning from each other's eyes. "Now," He said, tone becoming more dangerous and deadly. "Tell me where the commander's office is."

Heero paused, then said, as though it was against his own personal opinion, "Three shafts to the left, second opening on your right.

Duo whipped around and began to head to his new destination. "Good boy, Heero." He whispered to himself.

***

Quatre dashed through the kitchen where Trowa and Wufei had been standing in shock. Whipping outside to the bright flames that arced the sky, the blonde boy could do not much more than stand in bewilderment. "Oh...my...." Was all he could emit from his hanging mouth.

Trowa and Wufei came behind the pilot, and all three stared dumbfounded at the smoke and fiery hell in the distance. Trowa was the first to speak.

"That's the..." His voice faded away in the distance.

"Yeah," Wufei replied. "Duo could be in big trouble.... We need to go help him...."

Quatre began to tremble slightly. Screams from the nearby village pierced through the night like a knife on flesh. "They're attacking the people....!!"

A wave of fear and worry rose among them, and they dashed off to the hangar simultaneously. Quatre was afraid of who started the giant fire, the fire that was spreading to civilian homes, taking their innocent lives.

As he scrambled to the lift, he felt a reassuring hand placed on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "It wasn't him, it's going to be okay." Trowa's voice melted into the blonde's ear. "We'll save these people yet."

Wide, innocent eyes looked up, and found comfort in the stern voice and sure emerald eyes. He smiled weakly, and struggled into the cockpit of Sandrock.

In but a few minutes of preparation, the three gundams were ready for lift off. Familiar faces set in stone determination looked at one another through their screens, creating a silent agreement, a solemn promise. A jet of gas and flame spouted through the lifts, and the gundams raced into the night sky, knowing they could rely on their friendship, cooperation, and silent words to help them defeat their enemy.

_I've got your back._

MS: How's that for eventful? Aya aya, my neck hurts so much from looking at the computer screen @_@ But anything to please the readers, eh?

Peach: That took a long, long time to write..... Now I'm hungry and tired, and want to go to sleep, but no, I have to get ready for school.... *grumble grumble* I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thursday afternoon cannot come soon enough.

MS: Please review, and let me know I didn't fail my finals for nothing!


	9. Friendship is the trust, loyalty, and lo...

A/N: Here we go again with the apologies and excuses why this is so late. I'm really sorry!! *bows* I was moving, I really was! The computer I usually write fanfics on is also currently out of commission until I find the cord that leads from the monitor to the computer.

Peach: Sorry it's so late. We have no excuses good enough, only our actions can forgive. We're truly, very sorry.

MS: Please enjoy, minna-san!

"Shar! Commander Shar! Where are you? It's me, Duo!" Duo called into the office as he dropped down from the shaft. "We've come to help you!" Heero landed beside Duo and gave a small snort.

"Looks like she was way ahead of you, Duo. Already ditched this place." He smirked as if he knew it all along.

Duo growled. "Don't even say such a thing. Shar's a good person, she wouldn't do something like that." He began to search around the big room, while Heero headed to check outside the room.

"It's locked." He said, surprised.

"What?"

"It's locked." Heero repeated. "They've locked this door. They knew if she could get out, she would help you, so they locked her in here. Their own commander.... The boundaries of their lack of loyalty have never ceased to amaze and disgust me."

"Heero! Heero, I found her!"

***

"The fire's massive!! We need to control it before it grows any larger!" Quatre called out.

"It's spreading to these houses, to all over. We need a plan, and fast!" Wufei called back. The three pilots stared at the growing flames that spread across the town from the Ox base miles away.

"How did it ever get this far so quickly?" Quatre questioned. "The base is far away from this town, there's no way this could happen."

"That's because this fire didn't come from the Oz base." Trowa replied. "Somebody set these two fires separately."

"How do we know this, Barton?" Wufei questioned.

"Look," Trowa pointed to the land between the city and the base. "There is no scorched ground there. This was all planned."

"We'll go suspect hunting after we extinguish this blaze. Wufei, you need to go to the water tower. Be careful not to spill any water, but I want you to rip the holder off and spread the water on the worst parts of the fire."

"There is no way that'll even cover half the city! What'll we do about the rest!?"

"We have that covered, just GO!" Quatre screamed, and no sooner, Wufei had blasted off to the tower.

Trowa looked edgily to the remaining pilot. "....What are you going to—"

Quatre suddenly accelerated off. "Just follow me!" He yelled to his stunned companion behind him. "We're gonna make some rain."

***

Duo partially lifted an unconscious body from the floor of the office desk. "She's passed out; it must be from all this smoke." Heero ran over, and patted her cheek gently. "Shar! Wake up!" Duo shook the still the commander slightly.

"Wha...?" Shar said, stirring. "What...How...You've escaped, Duo. I should have known. And you," She looked at Heero with soft eyes. "You must be the one. You're Heero Yuy." She smiled.

Heero looked dumbfounded at her. "Please do not tell me, Maxwell," He whispered into Duo's ear. "That you gave a detailed analysis of the team, complete with picture and thumbprint identity?"

Duo chuckled lightly. "Capable of making a joke? I would never have thought. No, no, Shar's amazing, she can find out anything." He looked worriedly at her. "Hang on, we can get you out of here, just wait."

Duo began to lift the body, unable to succeed because of his own weakened body. "No, no. You can't take me, Duo, you must leave now while you can. I'd only slow you down anyway, and I...I can't leave this place."

Duo gave a sharp intake of breath. "No, don't talk like that, we'll be fine. We're going to get out of here, and you're coming with us. You hate this place, you hate your job. You can live with us, you can live a good life. Please, don't—"

Shar cut him off. "No, Duo. You know the truth, you know I can't do this. I may hate this place, I may hate this job, but I'm tied here. I can't leave. I've been bound to die as an Oz commander since I was born."

Duo's eyes grew wide and teary. "I'm not leaving without you!!" His tears of grief fell to the floor, the pain and misery subsiding inside them burning determinedly. "Don't talk like this, you know you can always start over. It's never too late to turn over a new leaf, you know that." A giant blast echoed in the hall. Heero nudged Duo to let him know that they were running out of time.

"Get out of here, now!" Shar yelled to them. "This place is a deathtrap! You need to leave now, before it's too late." Duo looked at her, tears welling in his violet eyes. "Duo, it's too late for me, but you still have your whole life ahead of you. You can become the person you want to be. It's too late for me, I have to accept that, and so do you."

Duo hugged her closely. Heero placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "We need to go, Duo." He said softly.

Duo sobbed into Shar, pleading. "Don't go, please don't leave me. I need you, we all do. Please, please, come on, everything's be okay...!" 

A large explosion echoed again, and a flame wall began to circle around the room. "Duo, we need to leave. Now." Heero said sternly, and grasped his shoulder firmly. "Alone."

***

"Dammit!" Quatre shouted, and fired his gun in the air. "I want you to make it rain!" The weather control center employees looked frightened.

"Why are you doing this!?" One of them questioned. "Please don't shoot!"

Quatre's face remained set. Trowa, beside him, pointed his gun towards the employees. "Make it rain, make it now, and make it heavy!"

"Uh, um, sir, we uh," One stumbling employee said cautiously. "We uh, put the i-i-immediate order for th-the rain, sir, it'll be just a-a minute, about, s-sir...." He stooped and shook intensely. 

Quatre turned to the man, and lowered his gun slightly. "Good." Quatre turned to Trowa and whispered very quietly. "I'm going to leave and make sure things go alright outside, see if Wufei needs any help. You stay here and make sure they don't stop the rain, or try to pull anything stupid. Does this sound good?"

Trowa gave a smile. "I never knew you could be so commanding. It's...nice."

Quatre raised his soft blue eyes to him, and smiled kindly. He clutched his gun with two hands and made to leave. "I'm going to be back, don't cause any trouble." He said, raising his voice loudly. "My companion here shall stay and supervise you. I don't want to have to give anyone of you hard workers difficulty, so be good little people, and don't do anything."

He dashed out the door while Trowa raised his gun threateningly. "You heard him!"

***

"Leaving can be the hardest part of having a friend, sometimes. Your love for the friendship you share shall always be something treasured in both of your hearts, and even if you are in different worlds, you shall always be together," Heero touched Duo's shirt at his heart, barely using any pressure. "in here."

Duo stared at the ground, crying hard. "Duo," Shar said, raising her arm to his cheek. "I love you, I always will. You have opened up another part of my heart, and given me joy. I will never forget you, even after I'm gone. Now, you must leave me, this is my last request of you. Please go, now." She stared at the ceiling. "I can finally see you again, Helen...." Closing her eyes and smiling, she pulled away from Duo.

Heero bent down and picked up Duo onto his back. "Wait, Heero," Shar said to Heero, touching his arm softly. "Take care of this boy, with love and kindness. He cares very much for you. Get him out of here safely." Duo, who had been too busy stifling his sobs, did not hear.

And with those final words, Heero burst out of the room in a flash. _Yes, ma'am....I'll take loving care of him for the rest of our lives._ He glanced at the sorrowful Duo, whose head was face down on his shoulder. "You going to be okay, love?"

Duo gasped and looked at Heero. "Wha...??" He smiled, and another sob burst from him. "Yes.... Yes, I'm going to be just fine." He snuggled closer to Heero, his exhaustion taking over his whole body.

Heero knew as warmth inside him flared, that he had finally met his match.

***

"Wufei!" Quatre called. "How's everything going?" He surveyed the mess around him. Fire still spewed from every corner, but the very worst blazing flames had been put out.

"Well, it's hard work out here. You can't just dump this water on the houses because it'd wipe the houses away completely, you can't land the gundam because you'd squish something, and you can't fly too low because the gas jets will scorch anything, causing more fires. You are truly testing my patience here, Winner."

Quatre smiled. "You're such a good person, Wufei, you really are."

"That's great," Wufei grumbled, embarrassed. "How did your mission go? What did you do, anyway? And where's Barton?"

Quatre chuckled. "Well, I must say what I did classified as something that I would never imagine doing myself. I'm still shocked I thought of it." A light rain began to fall, becoming thicker by the second.

Wufei looked to the sky. "You can't have.... Did you bust the weather control?" Just the idea spread a look of utter bewilderment across his face, and he nodded his head slowly.

"Well, Trowa and I went into the control center and requested a heavy rain." Wufei stared at Quatre, disbelieving. 

"They don't just change the weather for people who walk nicely in there and "request" some rain!"

"Um, I did have a gun, a-and well, shot it a couple of time. I may have also said some obscene things, but everyone did comply."

Wufei just stared on, mouth hanging slightly open. "You are insane, Winner. I know that you probably threatened to blow some guys head off, while secretly saying your forgiveness prayers under your breath."

Quatre looked ashamed. "Only once, Wufei. And the guy was really tough and everything...."

Wufei snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh god, Winner, I cannot believe...."

"Quatre! Quatre, come in!" A fuzzy voice entered Sandrock, and Quatre recognized it instantly as Trowa's. He linked in Wufei to the call immediately.

"What, Trowa? What's wrong?"

"Everything here is fine, but you need to stop chit chatting, and find those people who started the fire! I have reason to believe they're Oz workers, ones that have been there awhile. I followed their work on the fire and noticed an old technique that began years ago. Destroying the town because of the supposed Oz workplace fire will mean the people in charge will be killed, most likely, for the mistake. That means they aren't high in authority, or else they'd get in trouble themselves.

"Another thing is that they have some goal in mind—they're going to probably try to resurrect a giant Oz base, where they'd be commander. They'll take this damaged city land into their own hands and build the bigger, better base over it. The persons who started the fire will then become in charge of it after some lame lie about how they tried to save it or something. This trick has been attempted before, but the choice of their location was too pitiful. After the land burned, it disrupted the earth so that cracks appeared and destroyed the land completely. No use could even be made of that land, but this one will be okay after the burn.

"Since this trick was played awhile ago and failed, it was too risky to attempt it again so soon. That would mean that the person who did this might have scars from fire damage or something, and that they have been with Oz for awhile. They used to work at a site labeled 'disbanded' now, and they had to be close to the top officers in order to know when the right time to plan these things was. We need to find this person before they can do this again!"

A new voice appeared over their gundam speakers, giving a small laugh. "You have become careless, gundam pilots. It's become easy to catch onto your entire conversation while none of you noticed I hacked into your systems." The three pilots gasped at the new voice. Quatre's eyes grew wide, but turned into glared determination.

"Who is this!?"

Their video screens flashed a moment, and Heero's face came into view. "Don't get sloppy on me."

Quatre sighed heavily and clutched his heart. "Most people say 'hello' when they meet with friends, Heero."

"Hmm, I must admit, we have been too sloppy in our work...." Wufei commented.

"Heero, where's Duo?" Trowa said, trying to bring the group back onto the subject at hand.

"He's here with me, in my gundam. We've just left the Oz base."

Duo's head appeared next to Heero's, brushing the pilot's hair lightly with his arm as he pressed foreword. "Hey guys, long time no see." The other pilots smiled at him appreciatively. "Listen here, I think I know the guy you want. He was the commander's gopher, did everything she wanted. Nasty little man, he was. He's been there for ages upon ages, and he has a crooked leg, so he can't run fast. He's been through the mill, that one."

"Um, Duo," Quatre said timidly. "Although you may know what he looks like, and you did give us quite a description, we still have no clue where to find him."

Duo gave a wicked smirk. "Oh, you leave that to me, boys." He turned off the communicator. "Heero, get up. I need to pilot wing."

Heero scoffed. "I don't think so. Wing is way different from Deathsythe, and either way, you're too tired to do much of anything right now. If you need to, you can just point the way to this guy or something."

"Heero! I'm the only one who can do this! I may be tired, and I may feel weak, but when I need to be a soldier, I am. Do not think that I shall be lacking in my efforts as long as my mission is still in play. A true gundam pilot needs to learn to adjust to anything that comes their way, and this includes pain, differences, and feelings. We are a team, Heero. We help each other out in times when they need it. You've helped the team, and me so now it's my turn to prove myself worthy of being a gundam. You're going to have to believe in me to accomplish this mission."

Heero gazed at Duo, then got up. "You're right. But as a team and a friend, I want you to be careful and wary of your breaking points."

Duo took the pilot seat and nodded determinedly. "Right. You had better buckle up, Heero, 'cause it's going to be a bumpy ride." The gundam propelled off into the night sky, spinning and turning to break the wind. It flew lower to the ground, searching the ground for its victim. 

"Duo, are you sure you should be looking around here? It would seem too obvious, wouldn't it?" Heero questioned as they flew toward the outskirts of the city.

"Don't you get it yet? If he posed as a frantic citizen on the edge of town, nobody would suspect a thing of it. He can watch for his signal from his companions that'll let him know it's time to go, and anyone watching will just think he's fleeing from the city."

"No kidding...." Heero said amazed. "I cannot believe I didn't think of that.... You know, Duo, your mind of tracking skills is unbelievable. How did you learn it all?"

Duo laughed and leaned closer to the screen, staring outside at the ground for his prey. "Comes in handy when you're sneaking around a ship or building. You'll know where to hide perfectly while keeping an eye on the guards and personnel. How do you think I got so far onto the doc's ship?"

"Incredible. Don't know what we'd do without you. Guess we'd be lost while the enemy would be gone!" He laughed at his joke, and Duo smiled inwardly at the compliment, then pointed at a seemingly crazed man on the city borders.

"Shinigami's coming to get you, now way out now. Thank your lucky stars you've been saved until now, but you always know that in the end, a star always burns out. Welcome to Hell, my friend." He landed the gundam to the ground not far from the city. "Heero, you go after that man, you know which one he is now, right?" Heero nodded. "I'm going to tell the rest of the gang where we are and contact whoever else we need to. I'll meet you down there in a few. Hurry, and don't let him get away!"

Heero grabbed a radio and ran out of the cockpit, checking to make sure his gun was still there.

"Quatre! Trowa, Wufei! We've got the guy and we're bringing him in! I'm at the north end of the city boundaries, loca—Quatre? Wufei? Trowa? Are you guys there? Answer me!!"

"Dammit, Duo, get over to the south end of town, now!" Trowa's voice rang out. "They sent a fake to your location to lure us all over there! They're bringing out mobile suits to the other two. The fire starters are over here, and they're going to escape if you don't stop them!"

MS: So? Exciting enough for you? I've already started on the next chapter , so I'm not going to say when it's gonna come out, because when I do, it's always ridiculously late. Hope you enjoyed the fun of it all, and thanks for being patient.

Peach: This story is coming to a close, sadly. It's getting near the end! It's probably only going to have around 11 chapters or so, she thinks. But I'm not going to confirm that, because nobody can trust her.

MS: (Thanks to ultamiteseto from neopets here :) ) *raises arm and runs around the room* YAY! *Then does the happy bandit dance* Wow, I'm having too much fun torturing these guys.... ^_^


	10. Goodbye, my friends

MS: Booyah! Looky looky, it's the 10th chapter, already! And it's coming out so soon! It's not the last chap yet, but it's coming to a close! ~sniff~

Peach: But don't worry, we have more coming on the way! It's just all these ideas build up in her head, and she never has the time to write them all out. It's either lessons, or relatives, or a wedding....

MS: But those really are the reasons! Like my finals, and school, and--

Peach: And moving? Ha!

MS: But I really DID move!! I have the boxes and arm muscle to prove it!! Trust me!!

Peach: Whatever. ~rolls eyes~

MS: They _aren't_ lies!! Believe meeee!

"Dammit, Duo, get over to the south end of town, now!" Trowa's voice rang out. "They sent a fake to your location to lure us all over there! They're bringing out mobile suits to the other two. The fire starters are over here, and they're going to escape if you don't stop them!"

"SHIT!" Duo shouted. He snatched up Heero's radio counterpart. "Heero! Get back here, NOW! You're going after a fake!!"

"What!? What are you talking about, Duo!?"

"Get over here, and I'll explain on the way! Hurry, we're wasting time!!" Duo started the gundam up again, and sped over the ground to Heero's location. The cockpit door swung open and Heero burst in. "We're going!" Duo yelled, and put on a burst of speed toward the south end of town. "It's a fake! They're over here, and they brought in mobile suits! The other two are in danger, while Trowa is preoccupied doing _something_. He's not in his gundam, so I don't know what he's doing."

"Over there!" Heero called unnecessarily, pointing to a rupture of flames in the distance that arced the sky. "They've brought in _hundreds_ of mobile suits! We can't take care of all those in time! Especially in this weather—can't we turn it off!?"

"Don't you see? If we did, then this fire would spread to ever house within minutes! If we're impaired by this rain, it means they are, too...." He trailed off as a surprised look slipped across his face. "Heero, I have an idea...."

Duo swerved to the left suddenly. "What the hell are you doing!?" Heero screamed as he flew to the side. "The battle's over there; are you blind!?"

Duo's intentions became clearer as they approached a soaking reddish object. "We need all the pilots we can get, so get ready to jump, Heero!" Duo gave a sharp turn , leaning almost sideways, and cracked open the cockpit door enough to let a person out.

Heero stayed still. "NO, Duo! I'm not—" Duo shoved Heero into the cockpit door as they passed over the red object. He closed the door.

"Sorry, man." Duo said, and sped off to the battle.

Heero turned around, and with cat-like reflexes, managed to land feet first on the wet metal. He slipped, but was able to grab hold onto one of the metal parts. He opened the hatch to the cockpit, and scrambled into the gundam Heavyarms. "He is SO going to kill me for this...." Heero told himself as he clambered into the pilot seat and flipped the power switches. "Trowa is going to KILL me!" He said again, and sped off after his own gundam.

"Get in alright, I see?" Duo asked over the video link.

Heero glared at him. "Why couldn't YOU have piloted Heavyarms??"

Duo smirked. "Time is of the essence." He flicked the power boost switch and hastened to his fellow companions, and Heero followed.

"03, are you there?" Heero spoke to the intercom. "03, under some certain circumstances, I have needed to borrow your gundam temporarily." He cringed, readying to bear what came next.

"You WHAT!?" Came the reply. "Dammit, Yuy, what the HELL were you thinking!? GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW WITH MY GUNDAM!!!" He screamed.

Heero turned off the intercom, heaving a sigh. "The shit's really hit the fan now...."

"Oh my god, Heero! You and Duo need to help us! There are so many mobile suits, and we're trying our best not to kill these people!" Quatre's voice rang out as his video link hooked up. "Please help!"

Duo came zooming out of the smoky air, knocking a mobile suit off Quatre's back. "How are we supposed to get rid of these AND catch these people!? We don't even know where they are!"

"They haven't left the town yet. We've been monitoring the ground and village the entire time!"

Duo growled loudly. "I don't have time to play your stupid games!" He shouted to the mobile suits attacking him. He ripped at the suits before him.

"Sacrifices must be made! Some of these people are going to die!" Wufei called out to the others. "We have no chance to win otherwise!"

Duo remembered his conversation with Shar. _"Why do you kill?"_ She had asked him. "No sacrifices shall be MADE!" He screamed with such a fury, and attacked the mobile suits, avoiding the cockpit. "WE SHALL NOT KILL!" Adrenaline pumping throughout his body, giving him energy beyond possible in his state, Duo began to destroy the heads of the suits.

"Duo's right!" Quatre yelled. "We must not kill unless absolutely necessary!"

"That is fool's talk! We are in a war! There is no such thing as a battle without casualties! Put aside your precious fantasies and start living in the real world! We are soldiers created to end this war!"

"NO!" Duo shrieked. "We are soldiers created to bring peace! You have to believe in the things you have in order to with anything in life! You need to believe in your ideas of a peaceful and perfect world to make it!"

"Peace can only come after war! And with war comes death! Look at yourselves! You know just as well as these people here what death from a meaningless war means. In order to stop more people from dying, you need to end the lives that cause it! Your dreams are nothing on a battlefield. They will only get you killed!"

"OUR WORLD IS BUILT ON DREAMS!!" Duo called back to Wufei.

"Stop it, now! We are a team, not animals! We shouldn't be fighting over ideals for our future, but instead, taking on what's at hand! We are a team, and that's how we must fight! That's the only way we can defeat anything!" Quatre yelled, attempting to end the row.

Duo and Wufei's silence rang throughout the com link system, symbolizing their apologies as Quatre's words sank in.

Slowly, Duo raised his head and looked at Wufei. "Sorry, man. Let's fight about our future together later."

Wufei looked appalled. "Saying it in such a manner is unnecessary, Maxwell!" But he smiled anyway.

"Alright, we have one pilot missing from action, but that shouldn't affect us a lot. We shall spare as many lives as possible, but we need to move quickly. We can move through their ranks more quickly, while catching them by surprise." Heero spoke up finally.

The four worked seamlessly as the battle raged on. The soldier's lightening fast reflexes emerged within them, as their spirits rose above all, working to their common goal. They were put here for a reason—to end this war.

"Pilots!" A fizzy voice called out. "Pilots! You need to be careful! Try to stay away from any sparks that flash out!" Trowa urged. "You could be in a lot of danger as—" The radio grew too fuzzy to hear any words coming through. "Gorge—south—ligh---" The static finally stopped completely, along with the words.

"Dammit!" Duo shouted, hitting the soundboard. "He's been cut off! Something's blocking his signal!" He thrashed around at his adversaries.

"I get it!" Heero called. "The sparks will mix with the rain, and can electrocute our system!"

"The rain leaks in into the gundam parts, making it easier to power up the shock!" Quatre finished.

"Wait...." Wufei paused momentarily, giving the enemy a chance to pounce upon him. Duo mauled them over quickly. "A gorge! We need to head over to that gorge over there. If we can knock these guys in the pit and start a spark, then the mobile suits will stop working completely!"

"Since the suits have a proofed up cockpit, these people won't get hurt. It's a perfect plan!" Heero said distractedly.

A small silence echoed out as Duo, Quatre, and Wufei exchanged glances. "Heero, we all know you're a walking war dictionary, but the enemy suits as well...?" Duo questioned.

Heero smiled. "While I was cracking that base's information, I found a full sketch of the current mobile suits. I had to think about something while I was crawling through that vent."

Quatre and Wufei remained puzzled, but didn't say anything. "To the gorge!" Wufei shouted after the awkward silence.

Simultaneously, each pilot jetted their engines and took off. The mobile suits followed quickly.

"Wait!" Duo called. "How are we supposed to catch those people if we're down here?!"

Nobody answered. "Right now we have to worry about the people! Something catches fire, falls onto the city, anything like that, these things can happen, so we need to make sure it doesn't."

"Humph, babysitting!" Duo whispered loudly to himself, letting the others hear. _I can't let these people escape!!_ He thought to himself. _These people left Shar to die, they've killed one of their own relentlessly. I cannot forgive such an act! There is no way I am letting something like this happen once again. I've been placed here to bring justice to those who cannot receive it by our stupid laws, and I never plan to let down my promises._ "I'm going to bring up the rear!" Duo said loudly. "To make sure none of them attack the city or fall behind or something."

Without waiting for a response, Duo took off with Wing, heading into the mass of mobile suits coming his way. He whipped through the easy targets before him, and the rest left him alone, going for the other three suits ahead. Duo arrived at the previous, charred battleground. He knew no suits would be here. There was no reason to attack the city, but he didn't care. The other pilots needed him in their battle at all times, so he needed to hurry.

"Come out, you stinkin' cowards!" He yelled. "Where are you, scum? Or are you too afraid to even show hide or hair because of your shameful loyalty? I bet you are realizing that you did a pretty low thing back there, killing off your own commander to save your own skin for a take in power. You dirty bastards. You know what Shinigami does to people like you? Shinigami has to patience for those who's fidelity is only with themselves. He has no mercy for those who work only out of greed and spitefulness! Shinigami will never take compassion to your retched souls! You have sunk so low, not even the devil takes pride in you!!" Duo huffed, smirking evilly. His breathe showed white in the cool night. "Now, do one good thing before you die, and show yourselves to _the god of Death_!"

No answer came. No reply sprouted fourth, no response, no nothing but silence.

"Dammit! Bring your filthy hides out here now! I do not have the time to play hide and seek with such slime as yourselves!" He knew they were here, he could feel it as the blood of hate flowed freely through his streams. "AHA!" He screamed, almost maniacally as he spotted a pile of unsmouldering dirt in a pile of black. "Clever, very clever. Freshly dug dirt does not burn well, does it?"

The fingers on Wing Zero dug into the small hideout underground, and pulled out two men. "Is this all?" He dug around in the dirt until satisfied there was no one left. "Hmm, I guess if you aren't total defuses, you two could probably pull some big escapade like this off. Well well well, we aren't as dumb as we look, are we?" He poked at the old man provokingly. "You are coming to meet some well-deserved justice, my little slimebags."

Duo took a good grasp around the two men and sped back off to the heat of the battle. Crashing through the hoards of mobile suits, he made his way to the other three safely.

"What the hell was that, Maxwell!?" Wufei questioned. His back was to a cliff, where he was consistently throwing the mobile suits after ripping at their propeller packs.

Duo followed suit. "Duo, the easiest way to get them off is by grabbing the packs at the rim." Heero rang in. Duo nodded.

"Why, may I ask?"

"We think what Trowa was trying to say was to lead these guys to the gorge, and then he will make the weather control center strike lightening in there. If we rip off these packs, they can't fly out, and if we get this done quickly enough, we won't have climbers getting out of there." Quatre explained. "Okay, we're almost through here, so we need to make this fast. The storm is already starting to brew!"

They hastened their efforts. The last one approached Quatre at a blinding speed, but the young blonde was too fast. He ripped at the jets and threw him over his back, and over Duo's head, into the pit.

"That's it!" He exclaimed. "Now, let's get out of here, fast!"

A screamed echoed out into the air about them. "Help, help! I'm slipping!"

They whipped around to find Wing Zero barely hanging onto the cliff, hands searching for something to clutch. "It's got a hold on me! The mobile suit! Help!!" 

The ground began to crack as Heavyarms rushed forward. Heero fell to the ground at the edge, reaching for the gundam's extended hand.

Duo slipped a little more. "He's trying to bring me down! He's pulling on my legs!!"

Heero lunged at Duo's extended hand once again, frantic, while the others dashed around, trying to help.

"DUO! Grab my hand!" Heero screamed. The ground began to sink, and where the two machines where leaning on began to crack off. Heero grabbed the tips of Wing's fingers.

"Help us!!" He called to the others, and they rushed forward. The unstable ground shook from their weight and gave away as Wing's fingers slipped through Heavyarms' in the falling rain.

"OH MY GOD!! DUO!!!!" Heero screamed out.

As if the time between the two lovers slowed down, Duo looked Heero in the face with an expression of pain and fear so great, it shook the stone soldier's heart. As Duo fell backward into the blackened abyss, lightening flashed above, striking down below at the piles of metal and water. Tears streamed from both faces.

"DUOOOOO!!!!" Heero cried out as the braided boy faded from sight into the hell below.

MS: O_O;; Man, I'm spiteful for doing this, you know. A three-part finale.

Peach: Yes, you do all have the right to kill her. I can provide the knife, if you want.

MS: ;; But hey! It's up on Monday, like I said it'd be! Congratulations! ~claps for self~ Uh, yeah.... ~cough~ Expect another part soo~oon! *^_^*


	11. With you, one of you

MS: I find a lot of amusement in the pain and suffering of others, like scaring the crap out of my friend by sending my sister outside with a mask and a butcher knife late at night. It was so great. I did it twice in the same night, and the second time she refused to look out the window, even though I TOLD her my sis was out there. But noooo, she refused to look, and instead, looked in the mirror, saw the knife, and started BAWLING. It was GREAT.

Peach: She's terrible, isn't she? I mean, she also finds joy in torturing readers and having no time to write.

MS: The first one, yes, but the second one, I beg to differ. I cannot help my schedule sometimes.

Peach: P I tell you, she's evil. It goes around the world, after all. Please enjoy!  


Miss You chapter 11

"OH MY GOD!!!!" Heero collapsed onto the ground, his tears blinding his vision. "DUO!" He watched the pit where the red gundam had fallen moments before. A black shadow passed before his eyes, and another shower of flames burst from below.

Quatre tried to help Heero up. "What about the thrusters? Don't they work?"

Convulsions took over the boy's body, and he began throwing up. "Oh....my god...oh...."

"No...." Wufei muttered. "The suits cut the thrusters while we were battling them. Duo was lucky that the whole gundam didn't blow from it."

Quatre's tears began to streak his soft face. An uncomfortable silence echoed between them, and cold crept up the three boys into their bones.

Another explosion sounded off in the gorge. "Come on...Heero.... We need to go...come on...." Quatre said, gently lifting Heero's machine from the cracked earth. "We need to go.... I'm sorry."

Wufei stepped over and lifted Heavyarm's other arm. "I'm sorry, Heero."

Heero slapped at their helping hands away. "I don't want your pity!" He stood up quickly and turned on the thrusters. "Just leave me alone!" Rushing off in the blasting wind, Heero left the others behind. The tears the flowed in his eyes distorted his vision, making it impossible to see the giant roadblock in front of him.

He found it only too late, as he crashed right into the object, sending his senses askew. The object toppled on top of Heero, mashing him under the weight.

'H-hey, watch it buddy!" A quavering voice said. Heero climbed out from underneath the dog pile, and looked at what had fallen on him. "You could really hurt someone doing that...." Sobs broke up the friendly voice coming from one of the machines. Heero stared at the speaker, and the boy inside bounded into his metal arms.

"Oh...oh my god! Oh my god! Duo!" Heero laughed. "Duo! How what but you huh!? You're okay, you're okay!" He hugged Heavyarms tightly, then opened up his cockpit and dashed out. He met a blissful Duo and hugged him tightly, determined not to let him go.

"Heero...! Everyone! I was so scared when I fell, so scared...! I'm so glad you guys are okay; I didn't lose you after all. I don't know what I would have done...Heero! Heero, I love you, I love you!" Duo's face streaked with happy tears, and he laughed in the other boy's arms.

The other 2 pilots came rushing to them, hopping out of their cockpits, trying to believe their eyes.

"Duo! Duo!!" Quatre called, wiping tears from his face. "You're alive! You made it!!"

Duo laughed. "Yes, yes I did! I couldn't leave you all, I never could. Ever!"

Even Wufei grinned widely. All of them were, grinning until their mouths hurt, which only made them grin even more.

"How did you get out of that, Duo? It's a miracle!" Quatre questioned.

Duo grinned. "It was a miracle, and I really should be thanking my savior instead of standing here." He turned a quarter and stared into the dark shadows of the crumbled gundams. "Hey, Trowa, come on and join the festivities! You deserve it, man."

None other than Trowa Barton stepped from the shadows. He smiled softly at the gathering of friends. The others stood transfixed from surprise, and Duo bound toward him.

"Trowa here caught me when I fell after knocking the suit off my leg. He's my hero!" Duo laughed and hugged him. Heero looked disappointed.

Quatre came to Trowa, as well. "Yes, he is a miracle." He said, grinning. He gave the tall boy a warm embrace, and whispered, "My miracle."

Duo came over to the other two pilots who had stayed rooted to their spots. He grabbed their hands and led them over to the festivities. Pushing Wufei ahead, Duo leaned over to Heero. "Don't worry," He whispered quietly into the chocolate haired boy's ear. "You'll always be my Heero, and that's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Duo smiled and grabbed Duo's arm around his shoulder. They tipped their heads together, and each knew that they'd stay forever together.

"Let's PARTY!" Duo yelled. "Come on, we deserve it!"

Quatre laughed. "First, we need to finish cleaning up the mess we made." He gestured to the pouring rain and the chaotic town.

"Let's stop this rain, for one thing. This town will be flooded otherwise." Wufei commented lightly.

"Hey…." Duo said, narrowing his eyes on Trowa. "How did you know you could leave the weather center?"

Trowa looked up and smiled. "Oh, I left a standing impression, I guess you could say." He laughed lightly, knowing the virus he had planted in the computers would die within a few hours. Little bandit gundam pilots were dancing on their weather computer screens right now, and would self destruct later. "This town will be okay for awhile. Let it rain."

"Let's just go home." Heero said heartfully. The five boys looked at each other and smiled.

"Yeah," They all replied.

"Hey." Trowa turned suddenly to Heero. "You stole my gundam, which made me have to hijack a car to go all the way to the hangar and steal Duo's. I owe you a nice kick in the ass, buddy."

Heero smiled back. "If you can catch me, _pal_." He laughed and dashed off to his own gundam, pulling Duo with him. Trowa smiled.

"Hey, Heero…." Duo asked, wondering. "What made you decide to come after me?"

Heero stopped and turned to Duo. "A long time ago, someone very close to me told me to always follow my heart. I just needed to be reminded of this, and then I knew the right thing to do."

Duo smiled and climbed into his cockpit. "Thank you, Heero. I'd never be able to be me without you."

Heero climbed into his cockpit and poked his head out. "You wouldn't be anything but fireworks right now without me."

"Hey!!" Duo yelled, and threw a dirt clump at him, missing barely as Heero ducked his head inside.

"Let's slide into home base, boys!" Duo called into the com link system. "It's about time we made this crowd cheer for us!"

"Yes, I think they'll be quite happy once we're gone." Wufei replied.

The five pilots, in their correct gundams, zoomed back to their safe hangar, and back to the place they learned to call home, the entire time laughing and smiling.

A few minutes later, the five boys climbed into their house, weary, but very happy. Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre sat down at the table, while Heero and Duo brought up the rear into the house.

"Food, anyone?" Quatre asked. "You guys want pizza again?" Wufei smiled wearily, and Trowa nodded. "What about you, Heero? Duo?"

Duo looked at them wide eyed. "God, NO. I'm going to bed!"

Wufei laughed. "That's something I thought I'd NEVER hear!" Trowa and Quatre smiled behind their hands, trying to be polite.

"Yeah yeah, shut up, Wu. I saved your ass back there, so you had better be thankful." Duo shot back, pausing momentarily on the staircase.

Wufei snorted. He almost replied fiercely, but Trowa caught his eye and shook his head. He huffed and closed his eyes, ready for some rest and relaxation before the pizza arrived while Quatre dialed on the phone.

Duo followed the winding staircase, holding his stomach with one hand and the banister with the other. Heero remained at the foot of the stairs and whistled quietly to Trowa.

Trowa turned and faced his companion with a questioning look. Checking to make sure no one else was listening, Heero pointed to Trowa, upstairs, and flashed his hands 3 times to signal "15". Trowa looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded. Heero left upstairs.

"Let me die," Duo said when Heero entered their room, doubled over on the bed. "Let me die, but don't tell anyone."

Heero moved over to Duo's side. "Duo, I'm not going to let you die because of a silly stomach ache. Because if I do, I'll be sure to let everyone in town know that strong Duo Maxwell died of a disease a young schoolboy can defeat."

Duo looked up at Heero, tempted to hit him. He decided otherwise as his stomach gave another pulse of pain. "Silly? You take it then; I'll be only too grateful to give it away."

Heero leaned in and kissed Duo lightly. "Yes, but if you did, I wouldn't have to wait on you hand and foot."

Duo stared into his cobalt eyes, and silence rang out between them. As Duo searched the endless depths, a warm secure blanket wrapped about him, inside and out.

Heero handed the ends of the heavy blanket to Duo, and he took them graciously. Heero smiled, a genuine smile that lit up his eyes and brought a loving air about him.

Duo began to relax, and sank into a more comfortable position. "Thank you…Heero."

Heero nodded and stood up. "I'm going to make you some soup," Duo let out an exasperated sigh. "You need nutrients, Duo! They will help you heal faster, so you can be on your feet sooner!"

Duo sat up and glared at him. "I'm not hungry, Heero! Don't try to feed me anything, or I'll barf all over _your_ bed. Seriously, I couldn't hold down flat Coke!"

"Fine." Heero said airily, turning to the door. "Go ahead, barf all over my bed. I don't care." He headed to the door, reaching the handle as it turned from the other side.

"Oh, hello, Heero." Trowa said, and let him pass. "Duo, I saw that you seemed to be feeling a little ill when we came in. I thought I'd come and check on you."

Duo let out another loud sigh, and flopped into the bed. "First off, before you do anything, I want you to move me to Heero's bed." Trowa only paused slightly before going over to the messy bed and moving the braided boy.

"Ha ha ha, Yuy, I keep my promise. Prepare to need a cleaning service on your bed when I hurl on it."

Trowa rolled his eyes. "Just lay down, Duo, and wait until I'm done first." Duo smirked, and Trowa felt his forehead. "Okay…okay…" He mumbled to himself as he continued the checkup. "And you're feeling sick?"

"It's food poisoning, doc. I already know." Duo said halfheartedly.

"That may be one doctor's results, but it might not have been mine. I was just checking."

Heero entered the room, balancing a tray of soup and water. "So?" Heero asked, moving across the room.

"Food poisoning." Duo made a face behind his back. "I can give some Duo some medicine that will help, but we're going to have to wait this thing out. It'll probably be a couple weeks." Duo mimicked Trowa some more, pulling at his own mouth with his fingers.

Heero eyed him questioningly, deciding not to comment. He set the tray down on their nightstand. "Alright. That means a lot of nutritious food and rest." He looked at Duo.

Trowa turned to Duo as well. "Yes, that's it. But at least you can make others do your chores for you. Look on the bright side—you can push us all around to do as you please because you're sick. Of course, after awhile, we may pull out a hammer and hit you, but until then, it'll be fun." 

Duo flopped over on his other side. "I just wanna be well again." He said, and closed his eyes.

Trowa looked back at Heero and shrugged. He got up and left the room.

"Shh, Duo, it's going to be okay." Heero said, moving quickly over to his side. "Right now we can't do anything about this, but in time, you will get better."

Duo turned back over and faced him. "And how do YOU know that!?"

Heero shrugged. "The public wanted it. I don't understand why, but when we held the election, almost everyone voted yes to your health."

Duo smiled slightly. "Almost?"

Heero laughed. "The principal at our school can't handle any more of your pranks on teachers, students, and the chaos you bring. But it's not his problem until school starts up again."

Duo laughed, then quickly wished he didn't. "Don't make me laugh, Heero, this really hurts."

Heero smiled apologetically, then leaned over and grabbed the soup. "Eat up, come on."

Duo narrowed his eyes. "Heero—"

"You're not hungry, I know, but either you eat this, or I feed it to you using a pipe. When you're done, I'll leave you be, but until then, I'm going to keep bothering you until you go insane!"

Duo growled. "Fine fine! But I told you, if I barf, it's in your bed!"

Heero let off a small chuckle. "Yeah, so I noticed." He leaned in and handed the soup to the other boy. "But at least I'll have company tonight."

Duo smiled. "I'll try not to toss my soup on you." He began to gingerly sip at the bowl, holding the spoon back.

Heero smiled, and waited patiently until he had finished awhile later. He took the bowl from him gently. "Now, sleep. You must be exhausted from today. You really did well out there. I don't think half the town could have been as strong as you were."

"Half the town was swimming in water, Heero. That isn't setting the bar very high."

Heero stood up. "I can't set the bar high enough for you, babe. You're truly amazing." He raised the blankets up higher and tucked the tired pilot into them. "You need to rest and take it easy, okay? I'm going to take these dishes downstairs, and I'll be right ba—"As he turned to leave, Duo stretched out a pale limb and brushed his hand.

"No, please, just stay here."

"But I'm just going—"

"Please don't leave, Heero."

Heero stopped and stood still briefly. He set the tray back down and lifted the covers.

"Scoot." He said, and Duo moved over slowly. Heero climbed underneath and wrapped a warm arm around his love.

Resting his head on top of his slowly moving chest, Duo listened to Heero's heartbeat as comfort and warmth washed over him. "I love you."

Heero breathed in his hair's scent, kissing the head softly. "I love you, too, koi."

"Koi? Isn't that a fish?" Duo questioned, looking up at the boy.

"Well, yes, it is…but it also means 'love', like 'lover'."

"Oh," He snuggled back into his warm chest. "Then I love you, too, tuna."

Heero laughed and hugged Duo tighter. "Time to sleep."

***

"Good morning, Quatre!" Duo called, walking downstairs.

Quatre looked up from his paper and smiled. "Feeling all better now?" He asked.

"Perfect to a tee!" He stretched and headed over to the coffee maker as Heero entered the kitchen.

"Good morning," He said, nuzzling Duo's neck.

Duo turned around and placed his arms around the boy's own neck. "Good morning, salmonman."

Heero sighed and headed to the table, taking Duo's cup of coffee for himself. "Aren't you ever going to let up on that?" He sat down at the table.

"Yes, I've been wondering about that. Why do you call him fish names?" Quatre questioned.

"Because he's my koi." Duo replied.

"Koi?" Wufei said as he walked sleepily into the kitchen, yawning. "I don't want carp for breakfast, make me something different."

Heero groaned again, and Duo laughed, hugging him. "I love you, babe."

Heero smiled and kissed Duo's arm. "I know. I love you, too, my fishboy."

Trowa entered, and smiled at the happy boys. As they prepared for another day lazing around and working on gundams, the two pilots felt a warmth and bind that could never break, and would pull through anything. With their friends behind them, they knew they could do anything, especially concerning fish.

MS: ~cries~ It's over! This fic that's run for like, a year is finally over! It makes me sad…. In more ways than one. It took me a year to write 11 chapters!? ~slaps self~ I'm sorry, minna-san!! But it's over…sadly. I'm going to miss this!

Peach: Don't worry, though. We're continuing to write, and have about eighteen story ideas implanted in her mind. We're just going to take a short break from writing as we get a couple chapters done (so I can post regularly!!), and we'll be back in business.

MS: I'm going to Miss You readers! (Peach: ~hits with hammer~ BAD PUN!) But really, I'm so glad you've reviewed. It touches my heart to know people read and like my works, and I'm very proud to present what I have to you. Thank you all so so much! (I love you all!) Please keep an eye out for my works, as I will be continuing soon (You can bet on that! You can't keep me away from writing if you paid me!).

Peach: We hope you've enjoyed the last chapter of Miss You…!! This really was pleasure to write! It was Megatokyo Seraphim's first real chapter story, and it's been so much fun! Please come back soon for more stories, and feel free to check out MS's other fics on fanfiction and fictionpress any time.

MS: Remember, we trout you!


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